The 15th Judicial Circuit Court in Palm Beach County, Florida, has ruled against Canadian show jumper Eric Lamaze, ordering him to pay The Rein Family LLC, a horse ownership venture owned by Canadians Mark Rein and Tara Dow-Rein, more than $5.5 million for misrepresenting the cost and ownership of several horses he sold them. The total includes damages, court costs, legal fees, and interest.
The ruling, issued by Florida Circuit Court Judge Maxine Cheesman on Sept. 5, comes four months after Lamaze won a related appeal in which a $1.4 million judgment against him was overturned and sent back to Cheesman’s court for reconsideration.
The Rein family’s case originated from an October 2023 crossclaim in a broader lawsuit filed by Lorna Guthrie and her late husband, Jeffrey Brandmaier. Guthrie and Brandmaier accused Lamaze and his Torrey Pines Stable of selling their share in the horse Nikka VD Bisschop to the Reins without their consent, then reimbursing them for only a fraction of the horse’s value. Under the Reins’ ownership, Nikka went on to represent Canada at the 2023 Pan American Games in Chile and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
In their crossclaim, the Reins alleged that Lamaze inflated the purchase prices of multiple horses and misrepresented Guthrie and Brandmaier’s interest in Nikka. Cheesman’s ruling found Lamaze liable for $3,043,010 in horse overpayments, $1,175,000 for misrepresentation and statutory violations tied to Guthrie and Brandmaier’s ownership interest, and $310,000 in legal fees connected to Guthrie’s case. With additional pre-judgment interest and attorney’s fees, the total judgment amounts to $5,525,630.26.
Although the court ordered immediate payment, Lamaze, who won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics riding Hickstead, argued that his finances are “dire”: his bank accounts remain frozen and any previous resources are now depleted. He has been unable to secure pro bono representation due to the complexity of the case, and attorneys he has approached require retainers of $30,000 or more — well beyond his means.
In July, Belgium’s Tal Milstein Stables announced (in a since-deleted social media post) that Lamaze would be offering coaching services there. However, Lamaze is currently suspended by the FEI until Sept. 11, 2027; the FEI told a media outlet that it is reviewing the situation, but has found no evidence to date that he has coached or engaged in FEI-related activities.
Read the entire judgment HERE.
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